Press Release For Immediate Release Date: October 4th, 2007

For More Information Contact: Cynthia Shipley Manager, Marketing (416) 392-5938

October 4th, 2007, Toronto, Ontario: The Toronto Zoo’s rare and adorable Siberian (Amur) tiger cubs, a female and a male, now have names: The female’s name is Coco and the male’s name is Jack!

The selection of these two names is the conclusion of an extremely successful naming contest, presented in partnership with TVOKids.com. Over 51,000 entries were submitted with the new tiger cub names being announced live today on TVOKids from 4pm to 6pm. This is the fourth naming contest partnership between the Toronto Zoo and TVOKids.

The rare cubs were born at the Toronto Zoo on July 13th. As few as 450 of these big cats, also known as Amur tigers, may remain in the wild, where they are critically endangered due to habitat encroachment and hunting. The couple’s first litter of two cubs was born in 2000. A total of 29 Siberian tiger cubs have been born at the Toronto Zoo.

The Toronto Zoo has been actively involved with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) which currently has 147 animals in the North American program. “The birth of these cubs will help secure a genetically healthy population”, says Maria Franke, Curator of Mammals at the Toronto Zoo. The Toronto Zoo also supports tiger conservation in the wild through the Toronto Zoo Endangered Species Reserve Fund. “It’s all about conserving the species both in captivity and in the wild,” says Franke, “and we are very proud of the great conservation work we are doing here at the Zoo.”

Stop by the Amur tiger exhibit in the Zoo’s Eurasia section sometime soon to catch little Coco and Jack at play with Mom Tatiana.